Congress is now considering the first-ever bill dedicated exclusively to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). Introduced by Senators Murkowski (R-AK) and Schatz (D-HI), and Representatives Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Carter (R-GA-01), the Removing and Sequestering Carbon Unleashed in the Environment and Oceans Act (ReSCUE Act) lays the groundwork for advancing the research and development (R&D), and federal coordination needed to responsibly scale mCDR.
ReSCUE Details
If passed, this bipartisan, bicameral bill would:
- Create a Federal mCDR Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to spur R&D that will increase our understanding of mCDR and improve its measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV).
- Invest in mCDR monitoring instrumentation and infrastructure, as well as the capacity to better understand social and ecological impacts and benefits.
- Establish designated mCDR Research Areas to facilitate research from laboratory experiments to demonstration projects, leveraging preset permits, existing monitoring systems, and long-term public engagement.
- Increase transparency through a biannual federal mCDR report summarizing federal activity, publicly funded research, and governance updates.
- Support mCDR workforce development through the National Science Foundation (NSF).
- Advance understanding of mCDR efficacy and impacts by leveraging capabilities at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- Standardize materials, measurement, data, and models through the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) to accelerate innovation and validate mCDR technologies.
- Create an interagency working group through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) led by the Department of Energy (DOE) and NOAA to coordinate mCDR R&D, develop and implement a mCDR Code of Conduct, and enhance public access to mCDR data.
Why now?
We know we need CDR at the gigaton-scale by midcentury to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. mCDR has the potential to significantly contribute to our carbon removal needs. However, mCDR encompasses a wide range of biological and chemical approaches, all of which require more research. The bill takes a broad, pathway-neutral approach, covering research on approaches ranging from ocean alkalinity enhancement to coastal ecosystem restoration. While interest in mCDR is rapidly growing, not all mCDR approaches are equal in effectiveness, social license, environmental impacts, or scalability. The ReSCUE Act appropriately prioritizes the foundational work – harnessing NOAA, DOE, NSF, NASA, and NIST to build the infrastructure, research capacity, and federal coordination necessary for the responsible development of these emerging technologies with significant environmental and social implications.
As mCDR interest grows, policies like the ReSCUE Act are needed to provide clarification to the roles of individual agencies across the U.S. government. Like many climate and ocean topics, mCDR transcends agency interests. By clarifying the role of federal agencies — from NOAA to DOE, NSF, NASA, NIST, and State — the bill identifies individual agency’s role in mCDR, necessary to minimize jurisdictional elbowing.
The bill also makes space for US coordination and engagement on the global stage, where mCDR activity is accelerating in Canada, Norway, Australia, Tanzania, Kenya, and beyond.
Setting a Smart Foundation
With mCDR activities increasing globally, it is more important than ever to set a strong foundation for responsible mCDR. This bill holds mCDR actors accountable through a code of conduct which would set requirements for data and funding transparency, step-wise research, educational materials and community learning opportunities, engagement processes, and risk mitigation plans.
Additionally, the bill enables some funding and capacity for public engagement, which is an essential step to ensuring communities are included at the beginning stages of this emerging field. This early engagement with states, Tribal Nations, Native Hawaiian organizations, Indigenous communities, the fishing industry, and other important constituents is critical to building trust and surfacing concerns. The ReSCUE Act is structured to have science and community input leading mCDR, rather than government or industry.
Leveraging Regional Ocean Partnerships
Instead of reinventing the wheel, the ReSCUE Act recognizes existing regional coordination structures, known as Regional Ocean Partnerships or ROPs. Convened by governors, ROPs coordinate ocean issues across jurisdictions and sectors. Their close relationships with ocean users and coastal communities make them well-suited to potentially oversee designated mCDR research areas. The ReSCUE Act also elevates Sea Grant and the NOAA Regional Collaboration Network as important partners to leverage mCDR engagement and partnership building.
Setting mCDR Up for Success
While focused on R&D, this legislation is an important step in building towards a future responsible industry. The NOAA mCDR program would analyze viable commercialization pathways and define conditions for safe and effective mCDR. The bill also includes support for transitioning research to operations, and for integrating mCDR into voluntary carbon markets.
The responsible scaling of mCDR is dependent on understanding the effectiveness, benefits, and impacts of each approach, which can be expensive and difficult to evaluate in the ocean environment. It also depends on social license, which underscores the importance of funding for engagement and partnerships. By coupling strong R&D with investments in engagement, governance, and future operationalization, the ReSCUE Act is a historic leap-forward for mCDR deployment.
Edited by Ana Little-Saña. Image by MTSJRL.